Although the band started out playing at Christian music festivals, they shun the label of "Christian rock," with singer and guitarist Jon Foreman saying, "For us, it's a faith, not a genre. We've always been very open and honest about where the songs are coming from. For us, these songs are for everyone. Calling us `Christian rock' tends to be a box that closes some people out and excludes them. And that's not what we're trying to do. Music has always opened my mind -- and that's what we want." They started out on Charlie Peacock's label "re:think" and spent several years appearing at Christian festivals and enjoying Christian radio hits. Most of their early tours were with Christian bands and both of the band's new members were borrowed from Christian bands.
Switchfoot did not see success outside of the Christian rock scene until they were featured alongside singer Mandy Moore on the A Walk To Remember soundtrack. The band's first true commercial success came in 2003 with the release of their fourth major label (and first mainstream label) offering, The Beautiful Letdown. The album went on to sell more than 2 million albums and Switchfoot became the most popular rock band to be associated with Christian music.
They were featured on the British Edition of the Spiderman II soundtrack along with the likes of Taking Back Sunday and Dashboard Confessional to name a few, in 2004 with the song 'Meant To Live'.
In 2005 Switchfoot released "Nothing Is Sound". The album went gold within 3 months and received much critical acclaim.
Switchfoot's highly anticipated album, titled "Oh! Gravity." was released on December 26th, 2006.
On November 10th, 2009, Switchfoot released their first album produced under their own label, lowercase people. "Mess of Me", a single from the album released months before the CD, has enjoy chart-topping radio plays since its release.
In 2010 Switchfoot released their album, "Hello Hurricane".
On September 27th, 2011, to much anticipation and excitement, Switchfoot released their newest album, "Vice Verses".
Sites:
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Faust Midas And Myself
Switchfoot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I had last night
How an old man tracked me home
And stepped inside
Put his foot inside the door
And gave a crooked smile
Something in his eyes
Something in his laugh
That made my skin crawl off
He said I've seen you here before
I know your name
Yeah, you could have your pick
Of pretty things
You could have it all
Everything at once
Everything you've seen
Everything you'll need
Everything you've ever had in fantasies
You have one life, you have one life
You have one life left to leave
You have one life, you have one life
You have one life left to leave
I woke up from my dream
As a golden man
With a girl I've never seen
With golden skin
I jumped up to my feet
And she asked me what was wrong
And I began to scream
I don't think this is me
Is this just a dream
Or really happening
You have one life, you have one life
You have one life left to leave
You have one life, you have one life
You have one life left to leave
What direction, what direction
What direction, what direction
I'm splitting up, I'm splitting up
This is my personal disaffection
What direction, what direction
What direction now
I looked outside the glass
At golden shores
Golden ships and masts
With golden cords
As my reflection passed
I hated what I saw
My golden eyes were dead
And a thought passed through my head
A heart that's made of gold can't really beat at all
I wanted to wake up again
I wanted to wake up again
Without a touch of gold
Without a touch of gold
What direction, what direction
What direction, what direction
What direction, what direction
What direction, what direction
What direction, what direction
What direction, what direction
What direction
Death or action
Life begins at the intersection
What direction, what direction
What direction now
I woke up as before
But the gold was gone
My wife was at the door
With her night robe on
My heart beat once or twice
And life flooded my veins
Everything had changed
My lungs had found their voice
And what was once routine
Was now the perfect joy
You have one life, you have one life
You have one life left to lead
You have one life, you have one life
You have one life left to lead
The song "Faust, Midas, and Myself" by Switchfoot is about a dream that the lead singer had. In the dream, an old man tracks him down and enters his home. The old man offers him everything he has ever wanted – every material possession and every fantasy. The old man represents temptation and the singer realizes that having everything all at once comes with a warning: "You have one life left to leave." The singer wakes up in his dream as a golden man with a woman he has never seen before, who asks him what's wrong. He screams that he doesn't think this is him and wonders if it's real or just a dream. He realizes that living a life of material wealth doesn't bring any real happiness as he looks out at golden shores and ships. He sees his reflection and hates what he sees – his golden eyes were dead, and he realizes that a heart made of gold can't beat at all. He decides that he wants to wake up again "without a touch of gold."
The song then takes a turn as the singer wakes up once more but now without the golden touch. His wife is at the door, and he realizes that everything has changed – his lungs had found their voice, and what was once mundane is now "the perfect joy." The song shows the importance of living a life of substance and not just pursuing material possessions. The chorus emphasizes that "You have one life left to lead," reminding the listener to make the most of their life and not to be swayed by hollow temptations.
Line by Line Meaning
This one's about a dream
The song is inspired by a dream the singer had
I had last night
The dream happened the previous night
How an old man tracked me home
In the dream an old man followed the singer home
And stepped inside
The old man entered the singer's home uninvited
Put his foot inside the door
The old man intruded on the singer's space
And gave a crooked smile
The old man had an unsettling smile
Something in his eyes
The old man's eyes were ominous
Something in his laugh
The old man's laugh was unsettling
Something in his voice
The old man's voice was ominous
That made my skin crawl off
The singer was repulsed by the old man
He said I’ve seen you here before
The old man claimed to have seen the singer before
I know your name
The old man knew the singer's name
Yeah you could have your pick
The old man offered the singer a choice
Of pretty things
The old man offered the singer material possessions
You could have it all
The old man offered the singer everything
Everything at once
The old man offered the singer immediate gratification
Everything you’ve seen
The old man offered the singer what he has previously desired
Everything you’ll need
The old man offered the singer everything he needs
Everything you’ve ever had in fantasies
The old man offered the singer his wildest dreams
You have one life, you have one life
The singer emphasizes the limited nature of life
You have one life left to leave
The singer is urging the listener to make the most of their time
I woke up from my dream
The singer woke up from his dream
As a golden man
The singer's dream-self was made of gold
With a girl I’ve never seen
The golden singer was with an unfamiliar girl
With golden skin
Both the singer and the girl were made of gold
I jumped up to my feet
The singer awoke in a start
And she asked me what was wrong
The girl asked the singer what was upsetting him
And I began to scream
The singer panicked and screamed
I don’t think this is me
The singer was frightened by his dream-self
Is this just a dream
The singer questioned the reality of his experience
Or really happening
The singer wasn't sure what was real
What direction, what direction
The singer is unsure of his path
I’m splitting up, I’m splitting up
The singer feels fragmented
This is my personal disaffection
The singer is experiencing a personal dissatisfaction
What direction now
The singer is searching for direction
I looked outside the glass
The singer looked out a window
At golden shores
The view was of golden beaches
Golden ships and masts
Golden boats filled the water
With golden cords
The ships had golden ropes or rigging
As my reflection passed
The singer's own reflection appeared in the window
I hated what I saw
The singer didn't like what his reflection represented
My golden eyes were dead
The singer's dream-self lacked vitality
And a thought passed through my head
The singer had a realization
A heart that's made of gold can't really beat at all
Material wealth can't sustain life
I wanted to wake up again
The singer wanted to escape his dream
Without a touch of gold
The singer wanted to return to normalcy
What direction now
The singer is still seeking direction
Death or action
The singer has a choice to make, between stagnancy and progress
Life begins at the intersection
Making a choice will lead to progress
What direction
The singer is fixated on finding his path
What direction
Reiterating the importance of the decision
What direction
The choice is all-consuming
What direction
The singer must decide
What direction
Urging reflection on the decision
What direction
Hoping the decision is made wisely
What direction
Enforcing the importance of the decision
What direction now
Final plea for direction
I woke up as before
The singer awoke again
But the gold was gone
The singer had returned to normal
My wife was at the door
The singer's wife was present
With her night robe on
She had just awoken
My heart beat once or twice
The singer is truly alive now
And life flooded my veins
The singer was filled with vitality
Everything had changed
The singer's perspective had shifted
My lungs had found their voice
The singer had something to say
And what was once routine
The singer's mundane existence
Was now the perfect joy
Was now a source of contentment
You have one life, you have one life
Reinforcing the value of life
You have one life left to lead
Encouraging the listener to make the most of their time
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JON FOREMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rute
This one's about a dream
I had last night
How an old man tracked me home
And stepped inside
Put his foot inside the door
And gave a crooked smile
Something in his eyes
Something in his laugh
Something in his voice
That made my skin crawl off
He said I've seen you here before
I know your name
Yeah, you could have your pick
Of pretty things
You could have it all
Everything at once
Everything you've seen
Everything you'll need
Everything you've ever had in fantasies
You have one life, you have one life
You have one life left to leave
You have one life, you have one life
You have one life left to leave
I woke up from my dream
As a golden man
With a girl I've never seen
With golden skin
I jumped up to my feet
And she asked me what was wrong
And I began to scream
I don't think this is me
Is this just a dream
Or really happening
You have one life, you have one life
You have one life left to leave
You have one life, you have one life
You have one life left to leave
What direction, what direction
What direction, what direction
I'm splitting up, I'm splitting up
This is my personal disaffection
What direction, what direction
What direction now
I looked outside the glass
At golden shores
Golden ships and masts
With golden cords
As my reflection passed
I hated what I saw
My golden eyes were dead
And a thought passed through my head
A heart that's made of gold can't really beat at all
I wanted to wake up again
I wanted to wake up again
Without a touch of gold
Without a touch of gold
What direction, what direction
What direction, what direction
What direction, what direction
What direction, what direction
What direction, what direction
What direction, what direction
What direction
Death or action
Life begins at the intersection
What direction, what direction
What direction now
I woke up as before
But the gold was gone
My wife was at the door
With her night robe on
My heart beat once or twice
And life flooded my veins
Everything had changed
My lungs had found their voice
And what was once routine
Was now the perfect joy
You have one life, you have one life
You have one life left to lead
You have one life, you have one life
You have one life left to lead
Lily Valkyrie
Me too. when I was young, when this album was played in the car all the
time with my older sister and family, I never understood this song.
most of the time we would skip it, but I would listen to it at home. I
think to this day I still have Christ because of these roots.
Because of listening to these old cds that my sister bought from Creation fest in 2005. I'm still holding onto God because there is just no way He cannot
exist.
These albums are a blessing and Jon Foreman is a genius. Even
though you need sort of a weird taste of genre to like this kind of
music. haha
Joel Dykman
I love the subtle change to the line that ends the chorus usually its "you have one life left to leave" but he ends with "you have one life left to lead" . It switches the story from a nihilistic point to an optimistic one. Clever.
Tales of Nalstone
WHAT! WHAT! No way I didn't see that before after all these years. Good golly that's very clever.
Flern Flanstonsons
Nice! Another fun fact... at 3:00 when he says "what direction" over and over, the last one he says "death or action". It's just before "life begins at the intersection"
Josh Smith
"Life begins at the intersection." This song changed my life.
NATOenthusiast
How so?
A N
I am here during quarantine, loving these lyrics so much. Some days it is so hard to keep going—even though I can stay at home without fear. Others are doing a lot worse. I try to remind myself that we’re all doing this for a reason—but there are just some days where depression sinks it’s teeth in. I have to remember that line “What was once routine is now the perfect joy. You’ve one life, you’ve one life, you’ve one life left to lead.”
Life doesn’t stop here. Thanks for the reminder, Switchfoot.
Blake NA
I'm starting to think Switchfoot was really formative in my life. It's been ten years since I've touched Switchfoot, and I shouldn't have stopped. I still have all of these songs memorized. Beautiful lyrics with deep meaning.
Gregory Smith
I'm 32 and yes, I'm just sitting here right now bringing this together.
Eden Pittman
'A heart thats made of gold cant beat all.' Just, WOW.
Micah Connor
I love that line, but for some reason the one that really gets me is
"The golden eyes were dead." I don't know why, but something about that hits deep.
Like the idea of looking at your reflection, seeing eyes that are not only not yours, but not even alive.